Kon-Tiki redux

February 10, 2000

ARICA, CHILE

Phil Buck of Ashfield, Mass., has set sail for Easter Island on a 3,500-mile journey that will take nearly two months. Mr. Buck, a self-proclaimed explorer-adventurer who has canoed across the US, has constructed a 52-foot-long, 16-ton reed boat. He hopes his voyage will put him and his crew in the history books. Buck's goal is to show a connection between the ancient South American culture of Tiwaunaku and Easter Island. Similarities exist between the archaeological artifacts of the Tiwaunaku culture, from the area of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, and those on Easter Island. Buck also plans to construct a series of five reed boats and circumnavigate the globe over a period of 10 years.